Spirally contractible and expansible mop-wringing scrub bucket attachment with means to limit expansion



March 22, 1949. E. A. STRATTMAN 2,465,294

SPIRALLY CONTRACTIBLE AND EXPANSIBLE I MOP-WRINGING SCRUB BUCKET ATTACHMENT WITH MEANS TO LIMIT EXPANSION Filed Jan. 17, 1947 Patented Mar. 22, 1949 SPIRALLY CONTRACTIBLE AND EXPANSI- BLE MOP-WRINGING SCRUB BUCKET AT- TACHMENT WITH MEANS TO LIMIT EX- PAN SION Edwin A. Strattman, New Orleans, La.

Application January 17, 1947, Serial No. 722,482

2 Claims. 1

The invention relates to mop wringers of the general type disclosed in my U. S. patent applications, Serial No. 621,890, filed October 12, 1945, now abandoned, and Serial No. 656,417, filed March 22, 1946, now Patent Number 2,447,917, in which a frusto-conical sleeve is formed from a resilient sheet suitably curved and having its ends slidably overlapped, the outer end being anchored and the inner end having means to be engaged by a handle-carried mop when said mop is inserted into the sleeve and rotated, thus causing spiral contraction of the sleeve to squeeze the mop.

One object of the present invention is to provide new and improved means for stably mounting the frusto-conical sleeve and for limiting its self-expansion to a predetermined normal diameter.

Another object is to provide the inner extremity of the sleeve with new and improved mOp-engaging means which will prevent upward sliding of the mop on said means while said mop is being rotated to contract the sleeve.

A further object is to provide the inner end portion of the sleeve with dome-like mounds, which aid in holding the mop against upward sliding during sleeve contraction, and aid also in temporarily connecting the mop and sleeve during rotation of said mop to contract said sleeve.

Figure l of the accompanying drawing is a perspective view showing the wringer mounted in the upper portion of a scrub bucket.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is substantially a horizontal sectional View on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the manner in which the sleeve is spirally contracted when a mop is inserted and rotated.

Figs. 5 and 6 are top views of a split band and a continuous band, respectively, either of which may be used in mounting the sleeve.

The preferred construction has been illustrated and will be rather specifically described, but variations may be made within the scope of the invention as claimed.

A one-piece, resilient, perforated sheet 1, preferably though not necessarily formed from spring steel, is curved to provide a frusto-conical sleeve 8 for disposition in the upper portion of an ordinary scrub bucket 9, with its larger end disposed upwardly. The inner and outer ends l0 and II of the sheet 1 overlap and slidably contact with each other, and the tension of said sheet is such ill that the sleeve 8 is self-expanding to normal di-i ameter, as seen in Figs. 1 and 3. 1

The outer end H of the sheet I is anchored by means hereinafter described, and the extremity. of the inner end I0 is provided with a return-' bend I2 for temporarily connecting said inner end 50 with a mop, when the latter is inserted into the sleeve 8 and rotated clockwise. This rotation of the mop thus causes contraction of the sleeve 8 to effectively squeeze surplus Water from said' mop. The free edge of the return-bend i2 is formed with vertically spaced notches i3 which receive portions of the mop and prevent it from sliding. up on said return-bend during rotation of said mop and sleeve contraction. To aid in preventing the mop from being pushed upwardly as the sleeve 8 contracts around it, and to also aid in temporarily connecting the inner end portion of the sheet 1 with the mop during rotation of the latter in sleeve-contracting direction, I provide said inner end portion with spaced, inwardly stamped, dome-like mounds I4.

I provide novel means for mounting the sleeve 8 and for preventing excessive expansion of said sleeve. This mounting means includes a bucketengaging clamping means l5, and a sleeve-encircling band secured to said clamping means, said band being of the overlapped-end-form shown at [6 in Figs. 1 to 3 and 5, or of the continuous form shown at Ilia in Fig. 6. The band IE or Ilia is preferably of metal and it snugly surrounds the sleeve 8 near its upper end, said band being tapered in agreement with the taper of said sleeve. The outer end II of the sleeveforming sheet I is secured to the band It or Ilia by means of a radially disposed bolt I! which extends outwardly through these parts, said bolt having a thin head l8 between said end I! and the end Ill. Adjacent this head, the bolt I1 is provided with a square portion 19, and the bolt holes in the parts H and It (or H and Ilia) through which said bolt extends, are shaped to fit said squared portion l9. See the openings 20 in Fig. 5 and 20a in Fig. 6. A C-shaped clamping member 2! is slidable on the bolt H, and the upper end 22 of said member 2! overlies and rests on the upper'edge of the band H5 or Ilia, and abuts the outer side of the outer end portion ll of the sleeve-forming sheet I. The lower end 23 of the member 2| is shaped to engage the bucket rim as seen in Fig. 2. A wing nut 24 is threaded on the outer end of the bolt ll and serves to tighten and loosen the clamping means.

When the device is positioned as seen in Figs,

sufiiciently below'the upper end. of thesleeve 8" to prevent the latter from being downwardly sprung from engagement with said band when pushing the mop downwardly in said sleeve.

By simply pressing the mop downwardlyin the. sleeve 8 some of the water willbe-squeezedfout and in some instances, thisiwill be: sufficient. However, for more intensive squeezing, the mop is rotated to spirally contract the sleeve as diagrammatically shown in Fig. 4:

mop upwardly, but this is prevented by the notches l3 and the mounds l4.

From the foregoing and the accompanying drawing, it will be seen'that'. novel provision. has

been made for attaining the-desired. ends, but

attention is again invited. to the possibility of making variations within thescope of the inven-- tion as. claimed.

' I claim:

1. A mopwringer comprising azresilientperforated sheet curved :into the-form of afrustoconical sleeve having its larger end; disposed, up-:-- wardly, the ends of. said sheet being overlapped,

and slidably contacting with each other to im-. part continuity tothe sidewall of 'said frustoconical sleeve, said overlappedends' ofzsaidxresik ientlsheet being free. from attachment toeach During this" sleeve contraction, the sleeveutends toapushathe other to permit spiral contraction of said frustoconical sleeve and to allow said frusto-conical sleeve to be self-expanding to normal diameter after contraction, mounting means for said frusto-conical sleeve including a band surrounding and normally contacting with the upper end portion of said sleeve to limit the expansion thereof, and-means securing only the outermost of the slidably overlapped ends of said resilient sheet to said mounting means, th innermost of said overlapped ends having inwardly projecting mop-engaging mean to temporarily connect it with a mop; while rotating the latter in said sleeve in a direction to contract said sleeve.

2. A structure as specified in claim 1; said mounting means including a bucket-engaging clampto which said band is secured.

EDWIN A. STRA'I'IMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 206,371 Valle July 23, 1878- 414,628 Beach Nov. 5, 1889- 438,467 Borland Oct. 14, 1890* 1,093,932 Inghram Apr. 21, 1914- 1,767,385 Logan June 24, 1930" FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 383,796 Great Britain Nov. 24, 1932 

